King of Ten Thousand Years

After he took off the Shadow Cloak.

The Five-Colored Streaming Light enveloping Luo Tian had diminished to half of what it was before he entered Profound Spirit Mountain.

Compared to the other geniuses, however, it was still an enormous amount.

After all, everyone consumed the Five-Colored Streaming Light to make gains inside Profound Spirit Mountain.

But Luo Tian’s consumption rate was half that of everyone else, giving him a glaring advantage.

Afterward, Luo Tian went to find Nangong Yu and Xia Bingyue. He told them about the approaching enemies from the Qiu Yue Kingdom and gave each of them a bottle of Profound Spirit Liquid—it was free, after all.

”Thank you. I will continue my Cultivation until the Secret Garden closes.”

A rare smile appeared on Nangong Yu’s handsome face.

Perhaps because he was gradually becoming more familiar with Luo Tian, he seemed less aloof and rigid than before.

”Luo Tian, don’t waste your resources on my account. Before I turn twenty, we can only be considered ordinary friends.”

Xia Bingyue’s brow furrowed slightly as she refused to accept Luo Tian’s Profound Spirit Liquid.

She thought Luo Tian was trying to win her over.

Although Xia Bingyue had promised herself to him, she didn’t want to be indebted to him in any way before that time came.

”You’re overthinking it. It’s free.”

Luo Tian said with a wave of his hand.

”You...”

A faint blush crept onto Xia Bingyue’s exquisite face, and she felt a strange mix of faint annoyance and disappointment in her heart.

When she had learned that Luo Tian had left his imprint on five steles,

her feelings had been very complicated. Her unique, aloof pride had suffered a blow.

Coupled with her ”defeat” at the Wu Mansion Gala, Xia Bingyue felt that she had now lost to Luo Tian twice.

Unwittingly, the boy she had once found somewhat repellent now held a much greater significance in her heart.

After all, this stunning young man who had shattered an age-old record would one day be her husband.

”Mm.”

Xia Bingyue reacted calmly to the news about the enemies from the Qiu Yue Kingdom.

Then, she went to the Meditation Room.

The Meditation Rooms in the Profound Spirit Hall helped calm one’s mind, allowing for clearer, sharper, and more fluid thoughts.

Luo Tian found a Cultivation Room.

He sat cross-legged and began refining the power of the Profound Spirit Liquid within him.

His ninth Qi Vein began to open at a perceptible rate.

’As expected of Profound Spirit Mountain! The Cultivation speed is incredible!’

Luo Tian was inwardly amazed.

To begin with, the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi in the Royal Secret Garden was already far superior to that of the Dongchen Continent.

And this Profound Spirit Mountain, in turn, was far superior to the ordinary areas of the Royal Secret Garden.

Luo Tian estimated that at this rate, he could advance to the Peak of the Ninth Layer in two or three days at most.

A couple of hours later, his ninth Qi Vein was partially opened, thanks to the boost from the Profound Spirit Liquid.

Just then, Luo Tian’s Spiritual Sense picked up on something.

An invisible, dangerous killing intent was radiating from outside the Profound Spirit Hall.

WHOOSH!

Luo Tian took out the Five-Colored Jade Pendant, and an image of the Profound Spirit Hall’s entrance appeared on the wall before him.

”Young Master Zheng, that Luo Tian, the one who left his imprint on five steles, is hiding in this very hall.”

The silver-haired youth said with a smile, but his eyes blazed with chilling killing intent.

”Haha! Excellent! My great opportunity has arrived!”

Zheng Wei’s voice boomed like a great bell as he laughed with wild abandon.

The group of six stepped into the Profound Spirit Hall.

”You two! Guard the entrance and don’t let anyone out.”

Zheng Wei ordered, leaving two geniuses from the Qiu Yue Kingdom behind.

Then, Zheng Wei, Dongmen Lin, and the other two headed deeper into the Profound Spirit Hall.

”Drag that punk Luo Tian out here for me!”

Zheng Wei was getting impatient.

Since Luo Tian had left his imprint on five steles, he was undoubtedly someone blessed with great fortune.

If he could kill this boy, he might be able to inherit his fortune, including the special privileges and rewards on Profound Spirit Mountain.

Zheng Wei had received intelligence that Luo Tian possessed the privilege of expelling other geniuses.

Zheng Wei, however, paid it no mind. Their lineup was so powerful that they could instantly kill Luo Tian, giving him no chance to even try to expel them.

”Huh? How is there not a soul in sight?”

”Where did that brat go to hide?”

The four of them searched every corner of the Profound Spirit Hall but found no trace of Luo Tian.

”Young Master Zheng, the brat probably hid inside a Cultivation Room,”

Dongmen Lin said in a low voice.

The Cultivation Rooms in the Profound Spirit Hall were the only private spaces, completely shielded from outside interference.

”A Cultivation Room? Is that brat going to hide in there forever?”

Zheng Wei snorted.

Luo Tian had left his imprint on five steles and possessed an enormous amount of Five-Colored Streaming Light. If he stayed cooped up in a Cultivation Room, he would be wasting this grand opportunity.

Besides, the opportunities in the Royal Secret Garden weren’t limited to just Profound Spirit Mountain.

”Dongmen Lin, you three keep an eye on these Cultivation Rooms. I’m going to look around.”

Zheng Wei commanded.

”Yes, sir.”

Dongmen Lin and the other two sat down cross-legged near the Cultivation Rooms.

Zheng Wei began wandering around the Profound Spirit Hall by himself, searching for opportunities.

Treasures overflowing with radiant light floated high up in the main hall, making Zheng Wei’s eyes burn with greed.

However, obtaining these treasures required a massive amount of Five-Colored Streaming Light.

’Once I kill that brat, I’ll be able to claim these priceless treasures!’

Zheng Wei restrained himself, but his killing intent toward Luo Tian grew even more intense.

At one point, Zheng Wei arrived before a hall with a plaque bearing the two words: ”Meditation Room.”

’This is good, too. I need to digest the insights I gained at the Divine Communication Ancient Wall.’

Zheng Wei stepped into the Meditation Room.

The Meditation Room was a semi-enclosed functional space.

It was divided into individual compartments.

Each compartment contained a meditation cushion, and meditating within helped one’s mind become more serene and one’s thoughts more agile and fluid.

”Hm?”

Zheng Wei noticed a young woman in white robes sitting cross-legged in the adjacent compartment.

’Someone’s here?’

When Zheng Wei turned to look, his eyes widened in amazement.

The young woman had skin like fine jade and hair that cascaded like a black waterfall. Her face, serene and icily beautiful, was like a snow lotus rising unstained from the mire.

’So beautiful!’

’She’s like a fairy from the Ice Palace!’

Zheng Wei considered himself a connoisseur of women, but he had never seen such an ethereal, ice-pure beauty who seemed completely untouched by the mortal world.

Compared to her, Liu Ziyan, whom he had once considered a top-grade beauty, now seemed utterly bland.

”May I ask for your name, miss?”

”I am the son of Prince Zheng of the Chilong Dynasty. Would you be willing to step out for a moment to talk?”

Zheng Wei stepped forward with a bold air and knocked on her compartment’s partition.

In the Meditation Room, each compartment was relatively independent.

Without permission, one could not intrude upon another person’s meditation space.

Xia Bingyue remained seated cross-legged, her star-like eyes gently closed. Her exquisite face was as remote as a ten-thousand-year-old glacier, and she completely ignored the knocking.

That aloof, proud beauty of hers...

...only made Zheng Wei’s heart itch, stirring an even stronger desire to conquer her.

”Could you be Fairy Xia, the one who ranks first on the Azure Cloud Kingdom’s Human List?”

Zheng Wei realized, after a moment’s thought, who she was.

”I swear to the heavens that I have no ill intentions. I only wish to seek some guidance from Fairy Xia regarding the Sword Dao.”

Zheng Wei said with a righteous expression, knowing just which buttons to push.

He had heard that Xia Bingyue was a prodigy of the Sword Dao and was utterly devoted to it.

At these words, Xia Bingyue’s beautiful, ice-clear eyes finally opened and glanced at Zheng Wei outside her compartment.

Zheng Wei was ecstatic.

’As long as I can trick Xia Bingyue out,’ he thought, ’I’ll strike like lightning and capture her, and make this proud, icy fairy submit beneath me.’

Just as Zheng Wei’s heart was burning with lust,

SWISH!

Xia Bingyue flicked a finger, and the curtain of her compartment snapped shut, blocking his view.

”ARGH!”

Zheng Wei felt as though a basin of ice water had been dumped over him, but instead of dousing the lustful fire in his heart, it only made it burn more fiercely.

THUMP!

Zheng Wei struck the antique wood panel of the compartment with his hand, a blow powerful enough to kill a genius disciple, yet the panel remained completely unscathed.

BZZT!

Instead, the Five-Colored Streaming Light around his own body visibly dimmed.

”Damn it!”

Zheng Wei was filled with both frustrated desire and hatred.

As the son of Prince Zheng, his status was supreme. What kind of woman could he possibly not have?

But now, this ice-pure fairy was right before his eyes, making him drool with desire, yet he was unable to defile her.

”Hmph! If you won’t come out, I’ll just wait.”

Zheng Wei regained his composure.

Meditating in a Meditation Room continuously consumed Five-Colored Streaming Light at a rate several times higher than in a Cultivation Room.

And so, Zheng Wei began to stand guard outside the Meditation Room, determined to wait her out.

Inside the Cultivation Room.

Luo Tian watched everything unfold on the light screen.

’That Xia Bingyue,’ Luo Tian thought with a wry smile, ’she’s a bit too proud. She’s not willing to retreat to a Cultivation Room.’

He had warned her about the arrival of the geniuses from the Qiu Yue Kingdom.

But Xia Bingyue had an unyielding pride. Her powerful conviction in the Sword Dao meant she would rather break than bend; she would never retreat just because she was in a difficult situation.

Furthermore, Xia Bingyue had underestimated the enemy’s strength, and this had put her in a perilous situation.

At this moment, within the vast Profound Spirit Hall:

Two geniuses from the Qiu Yue Kingdom were guarding the entrance.

Zheng Wei was guarding the Meditation Room by himself.

Dongmen Lin and two other Qiu Yue Kingdom geniuses were standing guard near the Cultivation Rooms.

Furthermore, at the entrance to Profound Spirit Mountain, the woman in pink was leading two others, ready to kill any genius from the Azure Cloud Kingdom who tried to enter or leave.

’Hmph! The Qiu Yue Kingdom wants to wipe us all out in one fell swoop, but by scattering their forces everywhere, they’re being far too overconfident,’ Luo Tian thought, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

If all the people from the Qiu Yue Kingdom had gathered in the Profound Spirit Hall,

Luo Tian would have no choice but to lie low and continue his Cultivation until the Secret Garden Space closed.

But the Qiu Yue Kingdom had been too greedy.

They wanted to kill Luo Tian, eliminate everyone else, and now they had set their sights on Xia Bingyue.

After cultivating for half a day,

Luo Tian’s ninth Qi Vein was now a little more than halfway open, and he had consumed a considerable amount of Spiritual Pearl Liquid.

SWISH!

Luo Tian once again pulled up the feeds from various locations within the Profound Spirit Hall.

Xia Bingyue’s meditation was nearly finished, and she intended to leave.

However, being sharp and perceptive, she knew there was danger outside and didn’t move rashly.

Outside the Cultivation Rooms,

the silver-haired youth, Dongmen Lin, had gone to a nearby study to consult some ancient texts.

’A perfect opportunity!’

Luo Tian’s eyes lit up.

This left only two geniuses from the Qiu Yue Kingdom guarding the area outside the Cultivation Rooms.

The silver-haired youth’s actions weren’t exactly negligent,

as the study was very close, and he could rush back at a moment’s notice.

CREAK!

Luo Tian casually pushed open the door to his Cultivation Room.

The two geniuses from the Qiu Yue Kingdom standing guard nearby were momentarily stunned.

”Luo... Luo Tian!”

One of them, a burly man, recognized Luo Tian at a glance.

Two days prior, when he had accompanied Dongmen Lin to capture the Seventh Prince and Liu Ziyan, he had seen Luo Tian’s fleeing figure.

Later, Luo Tian had somehow managed to covertly capture and kill the man in the Black Robe who had been with them, sending shockwaves through the Qiu Yue Kingdom group.

”Get him!”

The burly man roared, transforming into the black shadow of a ferocious tiger as he pounced toward Luo Tian.

The combat power he displayed was no less than that of Yuwen Xuan, who was third on the Azure Cloud Kingdom’s Human List, and he was only a hair weaker than Wang Tian.

The other youth, clad in white, was not much weaker. He wielded an Iron Fan as he charged at Luo Tian.

BZZZT!

The moment the two of them attacked, the Five-Colored Streaming Light around their bodies began to drain away, visibly dimming.

”What the...”

The burly man and the white-robed youth were shocked.

A smile touched the corners of Luo Tian’s lips. Fighting inside the Profound Spirit Hall consumed the Five-Colored Streaming Light.

After all, this place was the central hub of the entire Profound Spirit Mountain; of course there would be some restrictions.

Luo Tian’s would also be consumed when he fought, but his consumption rate was halved.

Furthermore, since he was fighting one against two, the gap in their consumption rates was even wider.

Taking advantage of their momentary hesitation,

WHOOSH!

the Shadow Cloak on Luo Tian’s back flared. He activated his *Cloud Traveling Step* and shot between the two of them with terrifying, ghostly speed.

”So fast!”

The two of them were startled.

With the boost from the Shadow Cloak, the speed of Luo Tian’s Body Technique reached an overwhelming level.